


Next Go Round

by ArborMist



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Adult!Reborn - Freeform, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 09:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2768345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArborMist/pseuds/ArborMist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsuna's been itching for a fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Next Go Round

“Your confidence is insultingly high,” Reborn says, carefully unbuttoning his suit jacket. He shrugs it off, fingers sliding down until he catches on the button of his vest. “What drives that belief?”

Tsuna grins but doesn’t answer, his hands flexing. It’s been so long since he’s had an actual fight with Reborn, and since the former Arcobaleno had finally grown into his true adult body, he’s been itching to get at him. It might also be him shirking his duties, but what Gokudera doesn’t know won’t hurt him. And, frankly, he can’t find it in him to care. He hops up on his toes, balancing a moment and letting his Flame settle heavy in his chest. Reborn carefully folds his jacket and places it behind him. His vest gapes open, his tie held in place with a clip. Tsuna licks his lips. Reborn smiles.

With a casual flick of his wrist, two guns appear in Reborn’s hands. Leon is nowhere to be seen, so Tsuna carefully fans his Flame out to search for him. Right gun. Left is normal, though loaded with Sun bullets. Interesting.

“Shall we make it a lesson?” Reborn asks.

“I’m too old for your lessons now, Reborn,” Tsuna replies, grinning cheekily. Reborn tsks, head dipping so the brim of his fedora covers his eyes.

“You’re never too old to be taught a thing or two,” Reborn says. And suddenly he’s gone, the blast of his gun the only indication that they’ve started. Tsuna grabs the heavy feeling of his Flame in his chest and cranks it up to eleven, barely managing to dodge Reborn as he stops in front of him and fires his gun. The bullet grazes his ear, and it feels like the Sun. Laughing, he blasts himself backwards, twisting in midair when he senses Reborn bounding after him.

The exhilaration doesn’t leave, even when Reborn manages to graze him with one of his bullets. Not from Leon, surprisingly. Three more chances, each close enough to cause Tsuna serious worry, end with the bullets simply grazing him. Tsuna realizes Reborn isn’t actively trying to hurt him, and can’t help the warmth that lights in his chest. Well, he’ll have to reward him for that.

“You’re too old now to be teaching me,” Tsuna says, and ducks under Reborn’s guard. Reborn’s eyes flash in surprise before he’s firing down, the Sun bullet sending him rocketing upwards. Tsuna chases him, sliding up Reborn’s body, and tangling his fingers in Reborn’s tie. The surprise turns to affront and Tsuna just manages to untuck it from its pin before Reborn knees him in the stomach. 

Wheezing, Tsuna barely has a moment to catch his breath before Reborn mounts his counter attack. He spirals between the barrage of bullets, hissing as one of the bullets grazes the length of his thigh, the fabric splitting and a thin bloom of blood welling to the surface. Another manages to knick his right side, and a final one glances heavily off his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Tsuna tries to defend, and gets another bullet cutting up his ankle for his trouble.

Deciding he’s had enough, Tsuna halts midflight and rockets himself upwards, heading straight for Reborn as he falls. Reborn blocks his first attack easily, flipping his guns in his hands to counter Tsuna’s strikes. Tsuna drops the Flame until it hovers just under his skin, using Reborn’s sudden hesitation to his advantage. He locks a hand around the left gun, effectively freezing it, before restarting his Flame. Reborn’s hesitation turns to mild annoyance. 

“You’re too predictable.”

Tsuna feels the cold metal of Leon’s gun form pressed against his forehead. He can’t help the small quiver that snakes up his spine before instinct takes over and he uses his Flame to send himself backwards and down. The blast of power that grazes the top of his head makes him swallow, but he doesn’t sense any malice in the Flames. Probably just wanted to knock him down a peg. Two can play at that.

Keeping close to Reborn, Tsuna stays just out of his reach. He catches the glint in Reborn’s eyes and can’t help the surge of anticipation. He drops down again, and when Reborn swings around to follow, Tsuna pumps more Flame into the gloves to dash around behind him.

He lifts a hand and tips Reborn’s hat off his head.

The sheer audacity of the move causes Reborn to freeze. Tsuna uses the momentary distraction to distance himself as much as possible, because things are about to go nuclear. The thrum of anticipation doesn’t leave him, causes his Flames to dance around his hands, and his blood practically sings. When Reborn appears in front of him, Tsuna swallows a squeak.

He’s never seen Reborn look so wild. His eyes shine, and the curl of his hair makes Tsuna’s fingers twitch. His vest remains on, but his tie hangs haphazard around his neck, and one of the buttons gapes to show his collarbone. The tails of his shirt hang out the back. Tsuna licks his lips again, flicking his gaze away from Reborn’s mouth just as Reborn’s eyes narrow.

“Lesson one.”

The only thing that saves him is his intuition. Reborn reaches for him, gun gone from his left hand, and Tsuna just manages to pull away. He doesn’t see Leon until the butt of the gun slams into his temple. It’s just a glancing blow, but it’s enough to stun him, enough for Reborn to get in close and wrap his hand in the collar of Tsuna’s shirt.

“Don’t touch my hat,” Reborn whispers, lips inches from Tsuna’s own, and Tsuna stares at him before registering the gun pressed between his ribs. Reborn smiles. Tsuna grabs onto the flapping ends of Reborn’s vest and yanks himself forward until he’s pressed from shin to shoulder against Reborn, swallowing hard when their noses bump together. It’s just enough of a surprise to throw off Reborn’s aim. The Flames scorch along his back, a blast so powerful it turns one of the concrete barricades to rubble. Tsuna blinks, indignant.

“That could’ve killed me!”

Reborn gaze flickers for a moment, a furrow appearing between his brows before it clears. “Then I’m not trying hard enough.”

The gun comes up again and Tsuna does the only thing he can think of. Flames pulse from his hands, and he uses Reborn’s chest as a spring board, jumping back just as Reborn fires off two shots in quick succession. The outpouring of his own Flame collides fiercely with Reborn’s, and Tsuna tumbles ass over teakettle from the concussive shock. He can’t get his bearings, and lands hard, shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. He comes to a halt in front of the destroyed barricade. Coughing, he pushes himself up.

His intuition spikes and he rolls to the side, just as two more bullets lodge in the barricade and explode. Reborn  _really_  isn’t kidding around now. He coughs again, groaning when a sharp shard of pain lances through his chest. Not broken. Possibly fractured. Just a bit. He presses a hand against his side, where he believes the worst of it is, and allows a flicker of Sun Flame to begin working.

It’ll have to do for now, as through the haze of smoke and dusted mortar, he can just make out the shadowy figure of Reborn approaching fast. Stumbling backwards, he shifts his hands until the palms face the ground, and lights his Flame. Reborn grabs him before he can even get an inch off the ground, long fingers wrapping around his wrists. Leon sits perched on his shoulder, looking just as murderous as his master, and Tsuna thinks fast.

He drops the Flame, letting it hover under his skin again. Reborn’s gaze flicks up, but his grip doesn’t falter, tightening until Tsuna can feel his bones grind. Gritting his teeth, he shifts his weight, sends a quick prayer that this will work, and manages to twist just enough until his palms face Reborn.

He hits Reborn full in the chest with a blast from both gloves. Reborn releases him just seconds before and Tsuna knows he just glanced him, but the sight of the Arcobaleno stumbling for just a moment, vest singed along the corners and smears of soot over the pristine white of his shirt, makes it worth it when Tsuna hits the wall. Pain rockets up his spine, and the Sun Flame is unable to compensate for the sudden break of the fracture. Tsuna falls to the ground and coughs.

“You’re being stupid again,” Reborn says, and Tsuna winces. Reborn crouches down in front of him, poking Tsuna in the head with Leon’s gun form. “I taught you better than this.”

“True,” Tsuna replies, and sucks in a sharp breath. One more push. Gritting his teeth, he fans his Flame and lunges forward. Reborn exhales in shock as they both go tumbling to the ground, Tsuna dislodging Leon from his grip. The chameleon changes back with a shriek of rage, and Tsuna kicks up into the air before Reborn can catch him. Leon twists and fights in his grasp, and Tsuna unfortunately has to tighten his grip.

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry, Leon. Don’t worry, I’ll give you back to Reborn in a second, okay?” Tsuna soothes. The chameleon hisses at him but stops struggling, tail wrapping around his wrist. Tsuna breathes a sigh of relief.

“Lesson two.” Reborn’s voice cuts coldly through the training arena and Tsuna shivers. He knows without Leon and his other gun, Reborn will have a harder time controlling the velocity of his Flame. It doesn’t mean, however, that the hitman is out of options. “ _Don’t touch Leon_.”

Reborn appears in front of him, leg snapping out to catch Tsuna in the side. Right along the broken rib. Dammit. Tsuna cries out, clutching Leno to his chest to keep him out of range of Reborn’s onslaught, and uses his soft Flame to keep them afloat. Reborn practically leaps on him, diverting most of his strength away from possibly harming Leon and to knocking Tsuna out of the air. With the additional weight, Tsuna can’t keep them above ground. They fall the short distance to the floor, and at the last second, something lights in Reborn’s eyes and he twists them around, so he’ll take the brunt of the fall. The ground comes up fast and Tsuna tucks Leon close, trying to make himself as small as possible for when they hit.

The impact jars his side and he grits his teeth, sucking in the pained whimper. Reborn exhales, a sharp punch of noise that echoes in Tsuna’s ears. He tries, futilely, to push up and off of Reborn, but finds himself entrapped within Reborn’s stubborn arms. Leon squirms free of his grasp, crawling up Reborn’s chest until he can settle on his shoulder again, blinking lazily at Tsuna. Reborn doesn’t say anything, just keeps breathing in and breathing out.

Tsuna manages to push up enough to catch Reborn’s eye, and the hitman simply raises an eyebrow at him, soot and dust covering the side of his face and peppering his usually black hair with flecks of grey. Grinning, Tsuna ducks and presses a quick kiss to Reborn’s nose. Reborn scrunches it up in protest before sighing, letting himself settle back further, fingers gentle along Tsuna’s side. The warmth of Reborn’s Sun Flames tug and pick at his broken rib, healing it in slow increments. Tsuna squirms, uncomfortable momentarily, but doesn’t protest.

“So, how was Barcelona?” he asks.

That manages to startle a laugh out of Reborn, and he tightens his hold. Tsuna whuffs softly, grinning when Reborn lets his head fall back. “Boring.”

“Job done?”

“Of course.”

“Any injuries?”

Snorting, Reborn raises his head just enough to give Tsuna a blank stare. Tsuna returns it, content to wait him out. “Not on my side.”

“Of course not.” His side itches fiercely, but Tsuna knows better than to twist out of Reborn’s grasp when he’s intent on healing. He settles more comfortably against Reborn’s chest. “Any reason you were holding back?”

“You still don’t understand the fundamentals of fighting someone like me,” Reborn says, before flicking Tsuna on the forehead. His hand slips down Tsuna’s spine to settle against the small of his back. “There was no killing intent in you, so I responded in kind.”

“Ah, maim and wound, not kill,” Tsuna says, grinning when Reborn huffs. “I would say you’re getting soft in your old age, but then I'm sure you’d stop with the healing.”

“You would be correct.”

“See, I can learn still.”

Reborn doesn’t respond, going silent, and Tsuna allows his eyes to fall closed as the Sun Flames continue to work. The thump of Reborn’s heart, steady and slow, lulls him into dropping his guard, just this once. Reborn wouldn’t be happy if he made a habit of it after all. Reborn sighs again, a soft exhale that Tsuna respond to with a hum.

“You’re too quick to trust, Tsuna,” he says, softly.

Tsuna doesn’t open his eyes. “Ten years is a long time to hold someone at bay.”

“It would be the best course of action.”

“Oh, stop being dramatic. I let you beat me up, now let me sleep on you.”

The chuckle makes him smile. The Sun Flames recede, slowly, until the pain itself leaves as well, and Tsuna finally allows himself to relax. Reborn doesn’t comment on it, though Tsuna can definitely tell he wants to. Leon walks forward until Tsuna can feel him pushing and shoving at his hair, and he doesn’t have enough energy to even bat him away. It’s…nice. They haven’t had a chance like this in a while.

Surprisingly gentle, Reborn draws one of Tsuna’s hand into his own, fingers brushing over his palm before his thumb finds the indent of Tsuna’s wrist, right along his pulse. Tsuna makes a curious noise, but Reborn doesn’t respond, except to use his other hand along Tsuna’s back to hike up Tsuna’s shirt enough to touch skin. They stay like that, Reborn tracing the thin bones in his hands while Tsuna watches lazily, sinking further into his warmth.

 It’s soundly shattered by an explosion that rocks the mansion itself, and the shrill shriek of Lambo. Tsuna sighs, curling his fingers over Reborn’s a moment. So close.

“Back to work then.” Tsuna nods and slips free of Reborn’s hold, but doesn’t miss the fraction of an instant when Reborn’s grip had tightened. He smiles down at him, holding out a hand. “Dinner later?”

Reborn accepts the hand up. He towers over Tsuna for a moment before ducking his head and pressing a soft kiss to Tsuna’s nose. His lips twitch up when Tsuna’s nose scrunches. “Lesson three.”

Tsuna laughs, suddenly, eyes crinkling. “I always pay?”

“There are some things I don’t have to teach you after all,” Reborn says, drawing his fingers over Tsuna's cheek. Tsuna chuckles again, squeezing Reborn’s fingers, before he turns away and heads toward the entrance to the training room. Reborn doesn’t follow him, and Tsuna allows the chaos of the mansion wash over him with a smile.


End file.
